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. NITE) STATES IPATENT FFICE.

JOHN II. TIOKNER AND GEORGE L. TIOKNER, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK; SAID JOHN H. TICKNER ASSIGNOR TO SAID GEORGE L. TIOKNER.

GAM EL SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 611,086, dated September 20, 1898.

Application filed J une 24, 1898. Serial No. 684,345. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN H. TICKNER and GEORGE L. TICKNER, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Games, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to games, toys, and puzzles, and particularly to that class in which a number of balls are rolled around within inclosin g walls in order to bring them into one or more predetermined positions.

Our object is to produce a-novel game, toy, or puzzle comprising a suitable box having a suitable bottom, a transparent top, and an intermediate movable table, all suitably supported in or by the sides or ends, or both, of the box, said table or bottom being provided with a series of separate countersinks arranged according to some predetermined plan and having several corners cut away, creating openings which are open, like pockets, to permit an object, as a ball, to pass through from said table onto the bottom and which are closed by sliding said table. The balls are placed upon the table, scattered around, and then by tilting or shaking the box, or both, they are gradually brought into the countersink, arranged in the form or positions determined, and in the desired order with reference to each other when they are of different colors.

Itis constructed as follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure l is a top plan of the device. Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof.

A is the box, comprising ends 2 3, sides 4, bottom 5, transparent top 6, and intermediate table 7, the sides or ends, or both, being pro-v vided with suitable grooves or otherwise adapted to receive and support said top and bottom, said ends having deeper grooves 8, which receive the ends of said table and which permit it to be moved longitudinally therein. rlhis table can also be supported, as to its sides, by suitable grooves orways in the box sides.

Openings l0 can be cut through the table at any desired points, as at the corners, where they can be opened or closed by sliding the table.

In the Lipper face of the table are c0untersinks or recesses ll, arranged in any form desired. As shown they indicate relatively a cue-ball 12 and a frame 13, or pyramid or fifteen-ball pool.

This game can be played in two ways, each starting with the balls 9 scattered indiscrimi` nately around the table, with the pockets open in one case and in the other closed. In either case the game consists in rolling the balls around so that they severally become seated in the several recesses until the recesses are filled. When the pockets are open, an additional difficulty is presented in that if as in gle ball rolls through a pocket the game is lost. A suitable handle 14 can be suitably connected to the table for shifting it, and additional difficulty will be also presented in case'the balls are of different colors, as where vone ball is green, two are yellow, three are blue, four are red, and five are white, the cueball being black, and the game is to arrange them in series as to colors, with the green ball at the front of the pyramid, the two yellows next, then the three blues, the four reds, and the ive whites, thus creating a particolored or striped pyramid, the black cueball being in its recess, or by removing one blue and two red balls the game can be to roll the twelve balls around so as to iill the twelve outer recesses or base and sides of the triangle, leaving the three central recesses open or unfilled.

Many other combinations can also be devised which it will not be necessary to speciically enumerate, the idea being to cause the balls to assume some polygonal, geometrical, or other definite form in the recesses arranged 4in some predetermined manner, either with the balls all ofone color or of different colors, kaleidoscopic or otherwise.

It will be evident that the table can be omitted when it is desired to create a game without pockets, in which case the several ball-recesses will be in the bottom.

Having described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

IOO

l. The combination Witha box comprising sides, ends, bottom and transparent cover, of an intermediate movable partition or table dividing said box into two chambers, said table being provided with central recesses open on top, only arranged in a predetermined form or figure, and corner-apertures which are opened by moving the table in one direction, so that balls can pass through into the lower chamber, While being rolled upon said table to seat them in said recesses, Whereby the hazard of the game is increased, and suitable balls normally placed in the upper chamber.

2. The combination with a box, having sides, ends, and transparent cover, of a bot- J OI-IN H. TICKNER. GEORGE L. TICKNER.

Witnesses:

C. W. SMITH, HOWARD P. DENIsoN. 

